Muv-Luv Alternative
Muv-Luv Alternative (マブラヴ　オルタネイティブ) is a sequel to the first Muv-Luv game, which takes place after the events of Unlimited. Unlike the first Muv-Luv game, it consists of only one part: Muv-Luv Alternative. Plot Main article: Muv-luv Alternative plot summary In Alternative, Shirogane Takeru wakes up three years after the end of Unlimited to find himself back in his room. Although he first thinks that everything that had happened to him was a dream, he soon feels that something is wrong, and leaves the house to find that he has been sent back in time to the beginning of the events in Unlimited. Unwilling to accept something like Alternative V, he decides to help Professor Kouzuki to complete Alternative IV and save mankind. While the game starts off loosely following some of the events of Unlimited, Takeru soon makes enough of a difference for all sorts of things that didn't happen in the previous timeline to occur. According to âge, Muv-Luv Alternative is "a tale of love and courage" ("あいとゆうきのおとぎばなし"). It is even more serious in tone than Unlimited. Routes Unlike previous entries, there is only one ending and one route in Alternative. While it is possible to influence small portions of the story, the ending ultimately remains unchanged. However, depending on the player's choices, it is possible to affect certain parts of the game. For example, if you constantly pick choices that involve a character (e.g. Mikoto) then Mikoto will appear during certain parts of the game instead of other characters. Some of these parts include: * The night before Sadogashima. The player chats with Captain Isumi and 2nd Lt. Kashiwagi, with Meiya as the default third character. Having more points with Mikoto will replace Meiya with Mikoto. * The final scene at the end of the game. The player is given a hand written letter by the girl with the most points with the exception of Meiya. If Meiya has the most points, then Kasumi will say a few extra lines. Characters Alternative features the introduction of several new characters. Between them, the most important being the 00 Unit. It features the appearance of characters from Muv Luv Extra and other games by Âge. In addition to the new main and side characters, several characters from other Âge games are mentioned. Main Characters *'Shirogane Takeru:' Takeru wakes up believing that everything that had happened was just a dream. However, he notices something wrong: he has been sent back in time to the beginning of the events in Muv-Luv: Unlimited. But instead of letting a disaster strike again, he decides to help stop it before it even begins. The solution: helping to complete Alternative IV. *'00 Unit: '''Humanity's trump card in the battle against the BETA, the key to Alternative IV's success. *'Mitsurugi Meiya:' Meiya is one of the cadets in unit 207. Like all the cadets in the academy she tries her best to graduate as fast as possible to join the fight, but there is also a deeper motivation that is pushing her forward, something that she doesn't want to talk about. *'Tamase Miki: A cadet in unit 207, and later a pilot in squad A-01. Specializes in sniping. *Ayamine Kei:' A cadet in unit 207, and later a pilot in squad A-01. Still strange, and still constantly at loggerheads with Chizuru. *'Sakaki Chizuru:' A cadet, squad leader in unit 207, later a pilot in squad A-01. Still at loggerheads with Kei. *'Yoroi Mikoto: A cadet in unit 207, and later a pilot in squad A-01. Expert in survival and trap detection. *Kouzuki Yuuko:' Vice-commander of the Yokohama base. *'Yashiro Kasumi:' A mysterious girl who can be found in a certain room on floor B-19 of the Yokohama base which has a brain in a cylinder. Side Characters *'Jinguuji Marimo: Unit 207's instructor. Yuuko's close friend. *Tsukuyomi Mana:' A first lieutenant in the imperial defense army. Cares deeply for Meiya and tries her best to help her in any way she can. *'Isumi Michiru:' Captain of squad A-01. *'Hayase Mitsuki:' A member of squad A-01. She is always together with Haruka, her best friend and former romantic rival. *'Suzumiya Akane:' A member of squad A-01 and sister of Haruka. She works hard to fight for her sisters sake as well. *'Suzumiya Haruka:' A member of squad A-01 and sister of Akane. She is always together with Mitsuki, her best friend and former romantic rival. *'Kashiwagi Haruko:' A member of squad A-01. *'Kazama Touko: A member of squad A-01. *[[Munakata Misae|'''Munakata Misae]]: '''A member of squad A-01. *Tomoe Yukino: A second lieutenant in the imperial defense army. One of the three soldiers under first lieutenant Mana together with Ebisu and Tatsumi. They are very protective of Meiya and suspicious of Takeru's involvement with her. *Ebisu Minagi:' A second lieutenant in the imperial defense army. One of the three soldiers under first lieutenant Mana together with Yukino and Tatsumi. They are very protective of Meiya and suspicious of Takeru's involvement with her. *'Kamiyo Tatsumi:' A second lieutenant in the imperial defense army. One of the three soldiers under first lieutenant Mana together with Yukino and Ebisu. They are very protective of Meiya and suspicious of Takeru's involvement with her. *'Koubuin Yuuhi:' The shogun of Japan. Meiya's twin sister *'Tamase Genjousai: Under-secretary-general of the United Nations and Miki's father. *Paul Radhabinod:' Commander of the Yokohama base. *'Irina Pyatkh:' A Yokohama base communications officer, and Kouzuki's secretary. Rank is first lieutenant. *'Alfred Walken: A major in the American Army. *Sagiri Naoya:' A captain in the imperial defense army's capital defense forces. *'Kyouzuka Shizue: A woman who works in the Yokohama base cafeteria. *Yoroi Sakon:' Mikoto's father, and works for the Imperial Japanese government. Reception Muvluv Alternative sold 62,546 units upon release in 2006. It's the 3rd highest ranked Eroge in the japanese page Erogamescape with a median of 93. It's also ranked first in the western page VNDB with a Bayesian rating of 9.30. Criticism The game has been heavily criticized for its inclusion of several "grotesque" scenes. However, fans argue that said scenes are necessary to let players know why Takeru is affected so heavily by those events (Takeru's reaction results in a series of major plot twists). Even the fans agree that that scene could have been censored, and shouldn't have been seen again in so many flashbacks, though. Due to this, a censor patch has been made available. Releases DVD and CD Version (18+ Ages) The DVD version of the game was released on 24th February 2006, the CD version was released on 3rd March 2006. The 18+ Version of Alternative takes up over 4.5 GB of hard drive space, and requires at least 256 MB of RAM as well as a minimum screen resolution of 1024×768. It also takes 40-60 hours to clear one playthrough (which is relatively long when compared to other adventure games). All Ages Version Released on 22nd September 2006, the all-age version features new opening sequence with a new song by JAM Project, 5.1 surround sound, and the ability to skip to any chapter (even before you start the game, making this convenient for people who already played the original version). There are also new events and event CGs, and more voice acting for Takeru. Adult content is no longer present, and the more violent scenes were toned down. Some of the new events can only be seen if one has saves in which certain decisions were made from Extra/Unlimited (for example, in order to get the boat event, you have to first find the boat in Unlimited). Xbox 360 Version All ages versions of Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative ported to the Xbox 360 by 5pb. and were simultaneously released on October 27, 2011. They utilize a newer version of rUGP and the AGES system, as well as feature new openings. Windows 7 Editions A port of the 360 version with the adult content restored, but the new openings removed. As well, the games are truly compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7. Released on June 29, 2012. PlayStation 3 Version A port of the 360 version with a new opening. Will be release on October 25, 2012. Will also include a new Gallery Mode. Trivia * When talking about ''Alternative, fans typically use "AL" when referring to the world, and "Oruta" (オルタ) when referring to the game. "Oruta madaa?" (オルタマダー？, "Is Oruta here yet?") was a frequent chant in Muv-Luv threads on BBSes such as 2ch during the three year wait after the first Muv-Luv. This was replaced with'' "Oruta FD madaa?"'' (オルタFDマダー？, "is the Oruta fandisc here yet?) after Alternative was released, but isn't seen nearly as often as its predecessor was. Videos Category:Alternative Category:Games